St John the Evangelist’s Church, Sandiway

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Church in Cheshire, England

St John the Evangelist’s Church is in the village of Sandiway, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church of Sandiway and Cuddington[1] in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich.[2] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[3]

History[edit]

The church was designed by John Douglas and built between 1902 and 1903.[4] Douglas had been born in the village of Sandiway.[5] He donated the land on which the church was built and paid for the chancel and the lych gate.[6] The tower was added at a later date as a memorial to Douglas.[3] The foundation stone was laid on 12 April 1902 by the Earl of Mansfield, and the church was licensed for divine service on 15 October 1903. On 26 October the dedication and opening ceremony were performed by Rt. Revd. Francis Jayne, Bishop of Chester. The church was at this time a chapel of ease to St Mary’s Church, Weaverham. It was licensed for marriages on 22 May 1906. On 29 March 1935 Sandiway was created as a parish in its own right.[4]

Architecture[edit]

Exterior[edit]

The church is built in red sandstone with a Lakeland slate roof. Its plan consists of a four-bay nave, a taller three-bay chancel, a south porch, a vestry and a west tower. The nave is in Perpendicular style with Decorated elements elsewhere. The tower is in three stages with diagonal buttresses and a three-light west window. Above this are five strip pilasters that rise to the top of the tower. The parapet is embattled. On the south side of the tower is a door to a projecting stair turret which ends at the second stage.[3]

Interior[edit]

Most of the furnishings were designed by Douglas. In the chancel is a stone sedilia. The choir stalls are carved with poppyheads and angels. The pulpit has carved scenes. Also in the church is a ceramic plaque made by the Della Robbia Pottery of Birkenhead. The stained glass includes windows dating from the early 20th century by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake.[7] The organ was built by Wadsworth in 1903 and cleaned by the same firm in 1917. In 1939 it was rebuilt by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool.[8]

External features[edit]

The lych gate was also designed by Douglas, and dates from about 1902. It is constructed in sandstone and has a York stone roof. It is listed at Grade II.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ St. John the Evangelist, Sandiway, St. John the Evangelist, Sandiway, retrieved 7 November 2012
  2. ^ St John the Evangelist, Sandiway, Church of England, retrieved 24 January 2011
  3. ^ a b c Historic England, “Church of St John the Evangelist, Cuddington (1287518)”, National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 August 2012
  4. ^ a b History, St John the Evangelist, Sandiway, archived from the original on 26 February 2008, retrieved 24 January 2011
  5. ^ Howell, Peter (2004) ‘Douglas, John (1830–1911)‘, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, retrieved on 22 January 2008 (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  6. ^ Hubbard, Edward (1991), The Work of John Douglas, London: The Victorian Society, pp. 194–195, ISBN 0-901657-16-6
  7. ^ Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 580–581, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
  8. ^ “NPOR [D08488]”, National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 29 June 2020
  9. ^ Historic England, “Lychgate to Church of St John the Evangelist, Cuddington (1227730)”, National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 August 2012